Supergirl: Falling Review

Supergirl: Falling (Season 1, Episode 16)

“Kira, look at you. Dressed like an adult.” – Cat

This week, Supergirl delivered what was easily the best episode of the series so far.

To recap the events of the episode: Kara was exposed to red kryptonite which brought out an arrogance and anger inside her that served to damage perhaps every relationship in her life. The red kryptonite was made my Maxwell Lord who created a cure but not in time to stop Supergirl from ruining her reputation in National City, Hank revealing himself as an alien, and James changing his mind about pursuing a relationship with Kara.

Beginning the episode with Cat Grant on The Talk – the CBS talk-show – was a stroke of genius. She was able to talk about Supergirl in typical Cat Grant fashion and it added a realism and credibility to the world. We were reminded of what a good person Supergirl (and Kara) is: it was fluffy and saccharine but not sickeningly so.

It seems as though Winn’s relationship with Siobhan may be short-lived (thank God) after evil!Kara got Siobhan fired. Whilst I may not have agreed with the relationship beginning in the first place, I am happy to see a show where somebody can confess their love for their friend, be rejected and then just move on. Too often, there are multi-season arcs of unrequited love which is tiring and just overall, a really unhealthy depiction of a romantic relationship. This show is avoiding falling into all of the usual traps.

If you’ve been following these reviews then you know that I love Cat Grant and I’m so happy that we got such a big dose of her this episode. Moreover, all of the characters in this show are strong and well-written. They work well as an ensemble and this episode showcased that – with the absence of an external villain all of the established characters got more screen time and that was definitely one of the reasons why this episode was so amazing. The chemistry between the cast is brilliant and it feels as though we’re watching a family with a real history and genuine love for each other.

After Siobhan was fired and Kara made it abundantly clear that she was the one responsible, it was clear that this particular red kryptonite mistake was going to haunt Kara. I don’t want to spoil anything for you but the Supergirl/The Flash crossover in two weeks has a villain in Siobhan.

Focusing on Kara under the influence of the red kryptonite, Melissa Benoist did another fantastic job. Initially seeing Kara with a bit more bite and attitude was wonderfully refreshing and at points hilarious but further into the episode there was a real sense of dread. Kara was her own enemy and she didn’t even know it – the fact that there is such a sense of closeness between the characters is what made Kara a compelling villain and this plot so watchable. Seeing Kara destroy her own relationships felt like more of a threat than an alien trying to halve the population.

Of course, Kara was cured in the end and gave a beautifully heart-wrenching show of regret, I even felt myself tearing up.

I can’t praise this episode enough, the only problem is following it up next week because I think anything that they put out is going to pale in comparison.

That’s all this week – next week The Flash and Arrow are back so look out for those. Until then:

Did you think that this was the best episode of the season so far? Were you happy to see the return of Maxwell Lord? Should Cat Grant become a permanent fixture on The Talk? Let me know in the comments.